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Suzanne & Darcy

Suzanne & Darcy

Member Since 2020
Hello. I am new here. My name is Suzanne and I have a diabetic cat named Darcy, age 9. We have been using Vetsulin since about the beginning of June and I'm not happy with it at all and am trying to switch. I am home testing and, as I am sure y'all know, it doesn't last very long. Darcy spends way too much time in the upper 200s and 300s anyway. He's up to 4 units now, twice a day, of course.

I approached my vet about using Lantus or Levemir and got a negative response. She kept going on about how expensive it was (as if that mattered). So I kept on using this Vetsulin for the time being while I waited for his fructosamine test to come back. Anyway, for the last few weeks I have been really aggravated about this and if necessary, I will switch vets.

Today I have requested Prozinc, which I think she may agree to... we will see. I know that is a better insulin for a cat.
 
Suzanne W. said:
I approached my vet about using Lantus or Levemir and got a negative response. She kept going on about how expensive it was (as if that mattered). So I kept on using this Vetsulin
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WELCOME!!!
Lantus is pricy in the US, but affordable through Canada. A lot of members use Marks Marine Pharmacy. It's about $190 for a years supply. That's not bad. Another option is ProZinc which is what I use. I get it for $105 through Chewy.com. Both insulins are great choices.
 
Suzanne W. said:
Darcy spends way too much time in the upper 200s and 300s anyway. He's up to 4 units now, twice a day, of course.
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Hi Suzanne, that is very high dose of insulin to be on so soon after diagnosis.
May I ask, what was the starting dose?
How often was it increased, and by what increments (half units, whole units)?
And how was it determined that your kitty needed those dose increases? Did he have glucose curves at the vet, or did you do that at home?
How often are you testing?

Have you reduced the carb content of your kitty's diet since starting on insulin?
Sorry for all the questions! :cat:

Eliz
 
Suzanne W. said:
Thank you. I forgot to say that Darcy eats canned food -- Dave's Turkey and Giblets Grain Free. He only gets a few pieces of Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein as a food topper or sometimes as a treat when I'm pricking his ear.
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We have an awesome spreadsheet that allows us to share live updates so we can help each other. You can see the link to our ss in our signatures. If you're interested in using it, here's a link to the template https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
 
WELCOME TO FDMB as you have already figured out we are a dedicated family of kitty cat lovers who share a common thread DIABETES. We are here to help anyone who needs us to help navigate this disease. W not only hold our cats up but each other in emotional and therapeutics support.

Your first post made you and Darcy, part of this huge family. WELCOME:)

jeanne
 
Elizabeth and Bertie said:
Hi Suzanne, that is very high dose of insulin to be on so soon after diagnosis.
May I ask, what was the starting dose?
How often was it increased, and by what increments (half units, whole units)?
And how was it determined that your kitty needed those dose increases? Did he have glucose curves at the vet, or did you do that at home?
How often are you testing?

Have you reduced the carb content of your kitty's diet since starting on insulin?
Sorry for all the questions! :cat:

Eliz
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Hello Elizabeth. Darcy (and all my cats) have been eating Dave's Healthy Grain Free Turkey and Giblets canned food for years (it's pretty low carb) so we didn't change anything about his diet since his diagnosis. The main difference is that before he did get some kibble occasionally as a food topper or a few pieces as a treat. He only gets a few pieces of Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein low carb dry food now. Usually I use Bonita Flakes as a treat.

I always test AMPS and PMPS but I frequently test mid cycle and have also tested as frequently as two hours to see how this insulin is acting upon him. I have to admit, though, that over the last week I had given up mid-cycle testing at all (only doing AMPS and PMPS) because I have been too busy and also because I have become discouraged at how the Vetsulin just doesn't work well for him. Case in point. This morning he was AMPS 300... +5 hours and he was 249 (I had wanted to do +4 but missed it).

We started at the beginning of June with 2 units every 12 hours. We retested him in about two weeks and increased it to 3 units (well... the vet said go to three units... but I took about a week to bring him up to that level as I didn't just increase a whole unit right away)... waited about two more weeks and then did a fructosamine test... vet recommended going to 4 units. Again, I took my time getting him up to 4 units, but he's been there for a while.

I hope that answers all of your questions.
 
jt and trouble (GA) said:
WELCOME TO FDMB as you have already figured out we are a dedicated family of kitty cat lovers who share a common thread DIABETES. We are here to help anyone who needs us to help navigate this disease. W not only hold our cats up but each other in emotional and therapeutics support.

Your first post made you and Darcy, part of this huge family. WELCOME:)

jeanne
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Elizabeth and Bertie said:
'GA' is an abbreviation often used here to show that a kitty has passed on. It can stand for 'Gone Ahead', or 'Guardian Angel'. :bighug:
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Thanks. I like that thought.
 
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